Minnesota Gophers: Bowl hopes stay alive as Gophers top Illinois 32-23

The Minnesota Gophers football squad was able to keep its hopes alive for a bowl game appearance this season, as they were able to hang on to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 32-23 on Saturday afternoon.

If the Gophers are able to beat Wisconsin at home next Saturday, they’ll officially be bowl-eligible.

The formula for success for the Gophers offense today involved a solid ground attack, as they rushed for a total of 255 rushing yards on 32 carries for the game, an 8.0 yards per carry average. Freshman running back Shannon Brooks stole the show, putting up a stat line of 17 carries for 174 yards and three touchdowns.

However, it was his last carry of the game that made the biggest impact for Minnesota. Leading 24-23 with 1:25 remaining in the game, Brooks busted a 75-yard touchdown to put the Gophers up by seven. A two-point conversion run by quarterback Mitch Leidner made the deficit 32-23 and basically put the game out of reach for the Fighting Illini.

Once again, Shannon Brooks is really good. This @GopherFootball RB is going to be fun to watch for years to come. https://t.co/Y5LTXeJ41U
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) November 21, 2015

Speaking of Leidner, he came into the game today against Illinois with four straight games with 250 yards passing. He didn’t really come close to that today, completing 15 of 25 passes for just 88 yards and a touchdown (to Rashad Still). However, he remained turnover-free for the entire game and was battling through a couple of injuries.